Slot-machine



. (No Model.)

J. N. BELL. SLOT MACHINE.

Patented June 22,1897.

0., WASNI UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JONAS N. BELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SLOT-MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 585,077, dated June 22, 1897.

Application filed January 28, 1897. Serial No. 621,005. (No model.)

vices inwhich a rotary wheel or indicator is set in motion by the weight of a coin dropped through a slot in the machine-casing and acting on suitable mechanism to produce the desired rotation and in which any one of a variety of articles will be designated, either by name or by an equivalent characteristic, according to the position in which the wheel or dial comes to rest.

The invention is intended more particularly for use in confectionery and cigar stores and like establishments in which the attraction of the element of chance thus introduced is considered a desirable means of inducing purchasers to buy the goods of the class for which the machine is in each instance particularly designed. 1

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and cheap construction in. which the wheel or rotary indicator will be of such light weight and easy-running qualities that it will be readily set in motion by the coin for which it is intended, in which the construction and arrangements of the parts will be such that the reading indicated by the stopping of the wheel at any point will be equally visible to the purchaser who has operated the device and to the salesman behind the counter and on the opposite side of the machine, and in which certain other desirable characteristics will be attained, as will hereinafter appear.

The invention consists in the matters herein set forth and more particularly pointed out v in the appended claims.

wheel. Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional detail showing more particularly the construction of the wheel at its periphery and the bell mechanism.

In said drawings, A designates an outer casing made of wood or sheet metal or other suitable material, and preferably of some attractive or unique designsuch, for example, as the crude representation of a house, herein illustrated.

B designates a rotary wheel of extremely light construction and consisting, as herein shown, of three circular disks of cardboard or paper or other light material, (designated 5, b, and b Said disks are perforated at their centers by a wire or light rod 6 which forms the axle of the wheel and is mounted at its extremities in bearing-plates O, secured to the inner surface of the side walls a of the casing. At their peripheries said disks are connected by bars b which are desirably made of ordinary paper tubing and are seated in marginal notches b in said disks so, as to lie parallel to the axle 17 The spaces between the disks 1) and b, and between the tubular connecting-bars b are utilized in the construction of pockets 5 for receiving the coin by which the wheel is rotated, said pockets being herein shown as formed by looping a strip of stiffened cloth or fabric between the bars, as shown in Fig. 2. The other side of the wheel between the disks B and b is covered by a cylindric wrapping b, on which are printed the names of a number of articles or varieties of merchandise to be sold-such, for example, as Candy, Gum, Nuts, Lozenges, &c. The centers of the pasteboard disks may be strengthened by reinforcing-pieces b and the bodies of the disks may be cut away, as at 12 to lighten the structure.

A and A designate two observation-openings provided at the front and rear, respectively, of the machine and desirably arranged in sloping top corner-walls a of the top of the casing. Said openings will ordinarily be glazed and are each provided with a trans verse wire or equivalent mark or marking device a located adjacent to the periphery of the wheel'B and intended for the purpose of marking the article to be delivered to the customer. The object of providing two such indicating-marks is that the customer in front of the counter and the salesman at the rear of the counter may simultaneously be apprised of the purchase indicated, and to this end the names of the objects or kinds of merchandise appearing on the wheel are arranged in regular series, which series is repeated two or more times, so that each name appears more than once. The spacing of the names is, furthermore, such that the difference, measured in degrees, between two names of the same object is just equal to the angular distance between the marking-wires a at the front and rear openings A and A considered with reference to the axis of the wheel B. With this construction it is obvious that at whatever point the wheel stops both of the wires will indicate the same kind of merchandise or article, and the salesman may therefore proceed at once to procure the article from the shelves or cases without waiting to examine the indication made at the opening on the opposite side of the machine through which the customer is looking. A third glazed opening A arranged in the front wall a of the machine below the opening A, is herein shown as a means of affording the customer a more complete view of the range of chances offered.

The slot for receiving the coin is located at a convenient point in the upper front portion of the machine above the pockets Zr of the wheel 13, and is herein shown as a representation of a chimney A. A coin dropped through the slot will lodge in one of the pockets b of the wheel and by its weight start the latter to rotating. Vhen the pocket in which the coin has lodged reaches the lower part of its path of revolution, the coin will slip out and is guided by an inclined plate D into a hopper D in the lower rear portion of the casing. As herein shown, this part of the casing is extended rearwardly and provided with an upper and rearwardly-faeing glazed opening A through which the salesman may view the coin deposited and make sure that it is genuine and that a washer or other substitute has not been surreptitiously used instead of a coin before delivering the merchandise called for.

The bottom d of the hopper D is mounted on pivots d and may be dumped by means of a bar E, having a connected handle 6, which projects through the rear wall of the casing. The coin then falls into a cash-drawer F,which will preferablybe locked by any suitable device. (Not herein illustrated.) A spring (Z serves to normally hold the hopper-bottom d in its closed or horizontal position, and a similar spring 6 normally raises the bar E free from said hopper-bottom and maintains the handle 6 at the upper part of the slot a through which it projects.

As a further improvement for the purpose of adding attractiveness to the apparatus, particularly when used for selling confectioncry and the like to children, I have herein shown a puppet or toy figure G, supported upon the end of a vibrating wire G. Said wire is loosely mounted upon a supporting-peg g, projecting from the side wall of the casing,

and extends upwardly and thence through an aperture d in the inclined plate D, its upper extremity being formed by an attached flexible piece g, of felt or other suitable material, which projects upwardly into the path of the peripheral bars I) of the wheel, so that when the wheel is rotated the puppet G is given a vibratory or dancing motion, but without interfering materially with the turning of the wheel. A glazed window A in the lower part of the front wall of the casingrenders such puppet visible, and reflecting-surfaces a may be provided at the back and sides of the puppet to improve the effect. Additional toy figures II of a stationary nature may be also introduced for this purpose.

As a simple and economical form of hearing for supporting the wheel-axis with little friction I have devised that shown in detail in Fig. 6. The bearing is formed of a sheet of tin or the like, having its lower portion 0 struck forward and provided with a central notch c, in which the axle end may rest. Apertures c in the upper portion of the plate permit it to be readily tacked to the inside of the casing, and when the top of the latter is removed the wheel may be lifted in or out of its bearings at pleasure. The lower edge e of the plate is bent back, as shown, into the plane of the top of the plate and rests against the casing-wall, so as to steady the bearing.

To give notice to the salesman when the wheel is operated and to offer a further feature of attraction, a hell I is arranged to be rung whenever a coin is dropped through the slot. Said bell (shown in detail in Fig. 7) is fastened to the side wall of the casing just far enough within the periphery of the wheel to escape contact with the projecting end of the tubularbars b and is struck by a hammer 1', carried by an oscillatory arm or wire I, which is pivoted by being bent at rightangles and passed through staples i. The opposite end of the pivot portion is then bent again at right angles and provided with a tip which projects beneath the slot 60 111130 the path of the falling coin. The impact of each coin upon the lever-arm thus swings the hammer against the bell and sounds the same.

The tip i of the arm which projects beneath the slot is preferably made of leather or other flexible material which will bend to permit the coin to pass freely, though stiff enough to accomplish the ringing of the bell. The slot a in Fig. 6 is, as a further improvement, shown as curved to prevent the operation of the wheel by a pencil or the like thrust into the slot.

Obviously various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the broad spirit of the invention, particularly insomuch as pertains to the double-indicator feature.

I claim as my invention 1. A slot-machine provided with a wheel adapted to be actuated by a coin and bearing on its periphery different names arranged in two or moreseries, and indicators on the opposite sides of the machine arranged to simultaneously designate the same name of two series.

2. A slot-machine provided with a casing, a rotary wheel adapted to be actuated by a coin, observation-openings at the front and rear of the casing, and indicators at the 0bservation-openings, the periphery of the wheel being marked with a plurality of names each of which appears more than once, and so arranged that two like names are always indicatedby said indicators.

3. A coin-actuated wheel for slot-machines made of a plurality of disks mounted on a common axle, and connected at their peripheries by bars arranged parallel to said axle, v and a series of coin-pockets formed by looping a strip of fabric between said bars.

4. A coin-actuated wheel for slot-machines formed by a plurality of disks mounted on a common axle, peripheral notches in said disks, tubular bars resting in said notches parallel to said axle and coin-receivin g pockets formed by loopinga strip of fabric between the tubular bars.

5. A slot-machine comprising casing A provided with observation-openings A and A with indicators a thereat, the wheel B bearing on its periphery the names of merchandise articles arranged in regular series and repeated whereby the same name is marked by the indicators at the two openings, and also provided with coin-receiving pockets arranged to rotate beneath the coin-slot, inclined plate D, hopper D, tilting hopper-bottom 07, and cash-drawer F, substantially as described.

6. In a slot-machine, the combination with a vending-wheel marked with merchandise articles and an indicator, of a Vibrating Wire extending into proximity to peripheral projections on said wheel, a flexible tip on the wire for engaging said projections, and a puppet mounted on the opposite end of the wire whereby the rotation of the wheel under the weight of the coin causes the puppet to vibrate substantially as described.

JONAS N. BELL.

Witnesses:

HENRY W. CARTER, ALBERT H. GRAVES. 

